Some mathematical aspects of the planet Earth

Abstract

The Planet Earth System is composed of several sub-systems: the atmosphere, the liquid oceans, the internal structure and the icecaps and the biosphere. In all of them Mathematics, enhanced by the supercomputers, has currently a key role through the “universal method” for their study, which consists of mathematical modeling, analysis, simulation and control, as it was re-stated by Jacques-Louis Lions in [41]. Much before the advent of computers, the representation of the Earth, navigation and cartography have contributed in a decisive form to the mathematical sciences. Nowadays the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, sponsored by the International Council of Scientific Unions, may contribute to stimulate several mathematical research topics. In this article, we present a brief historical introduction to some of the essential mathematics for understanding the Planet Earth, stressing the importance of Mathematical Geography and its role in the Scientific Revolution(s), the modeling efforts of Winds, Heating, Earthquakes, Climate and their in uence on basic aspects of the theory of Partial Differential Equations. As a special topic to illustrate the wide scope of these (Geo)physical problems we describe brie y some examples from History and from current research and advances in Free Boundary Problems arising in the Planet Earth. Finally we conclude by referring the potential impact of the international initiative Mathematics of Planet Earth (http://www.mpe2013.org) in Raising Public Awareness of Mathematics, in Research and in the Communication of the Mathematical Sciences to the new generations.